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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28681305">Little Pieces of You, Little Pieces of Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violent_entertainment/pseuds/Violent_entertainment'>Violent_entertainment</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Reincarnation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:29:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,591</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28681305</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violent_entertainment/pseuds/Violent_entertainment</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Little bits and pieces of the childhood and young adulthood of a Shikamaru who was someone else in an earlier life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>68</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Little Pieces of You, Little Pieces of Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Everyone is doing MDZS characters reincarnated into other fandoms. I want to do it too!</p><p>Each little piece below is not necessarily in chronological order.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Where’s Mingjue?” </p><p>“He’s on a night hunt,” Shikaku replied automatically without looking up from his paper, then paused in surprise at his own words before letting out a quiet, amused huff.</p><p>“Now that brings back memories,” Yoshino chuckled, leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen and wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “What brought this on? I didn’t think you remembered him.”</p><p>“I don’t, really,” Shikamaru answered, coming into the room and plopping down at the seat next to his father. “I just woke up this morning with that thought lingering in my mind,” he trailed off. “…Who was he?”</p><p>“He was your imaginary friend growing up,” Shikaku replied, turning a page. “And pretty much all you would talk about from the moment you <i>could</i> talk.” </p><p>“Your imaginary <i>brother</i>,” his mother corrected. “An older brother, who was a brilliant general.” Here she shot a knowing and loving glance at her husband, clearly guessing where the inspiration for this brother of his had come from. </p><p>“Some kind of ghost hunter,” his father added, blushing and coughing into his fist at his wife’s look, before putting down the paper.</p><p>“And when you weren’t making up stories about his great exploits, you were always asking where he was, looking for him. You would cry yourself to sleep night after night, because you wanted him to tuck you in.”</p><p>Shikamaru scowled. “I did not.”</p><p>“You did!” His mother laughed, backing his father up. “But more than once, when talking about Mingjue going off to fight monsters and ghosts, you called them ‘night hunts.’ So one night your father hit upon the idea of telling you your brother was away on a night hunt, and that’s why he couldn’t tuck you in. You just nodded in understanding and settled down right away. It was very adorable.”</p><p>“I don’t remember any of this,” Shikamaru said, looking unsettled.</p><p>“That’s very normal, sweetie,” Yoshino replied, setting his breakfast on the table in front of him. “Once you were old enough, we were arranging more regular playdates with Ino and Choji, and you stopped mentioning him around the same time. You just outgrew him. Now hurry up and eat or you’ll be late to meet your new Jounin-sensei.” </p><p>________</p><p>“–and then she had the <i>nerve</i> to say <i>she</i> likes Sasuke, too! Can you believe her? Honestly, it’s like she doesn’t remember I’m the one who—are you even listening to me?!” Turning around to glare at Shikamaru, Ino paused in surprise, reaching out to grab Choji’s arm and reel him to a halt as she realized they’d managed to lose the third member of their group at some point. “Where’d Shika go?” She glanced around wildly, before growling and stomping a foot.</p><p>“Oooh, if he ditched us to go home and nap on our one day off from school–!” </p><p>“Relax, Ino,” Choji commented, munching on his ever-present bag of chips. “He’s over there.”</p><p>Following the direction to where Choji was pointing, Ino spotted the Nara standing outside a shop, gazing intently at something visible through the window. </p><p>Jogging back towards him, Ino recognized it as a civilian shop that sold women’s clothing and accessories, one her mother liked to frequent. </p><p>Did Shikamaru maybe see someone he knew inside? Coming up to him and standing by his elbow, she realized his gaze was fixed on a silk fan, spread open to display a painted design of a swallow in flight, clutching a small budding twig in its beak. </p><p>She glanced at him in curiosity. “Were you thinking about getting something for your mom? Is her birthday coming up?”</p><p>“No,” he responded, face blank.</p><p>“Then…” she trailed off, unsure what else could have caught his attention about it.</p><p>“I want it,” he said, quietly.</p><p>She looked at him, baffled, but he seemed completely serious. Pressing her hands and face up against the window to squint through the glass, she grimaced at the price. “It’s a bit expensive, Shikamaru.”</p><p>The tips of Shikamaru’s ears went red in embarrassment.</p><p>“Whatever,” he grumbled. Linking his fingers behind his neck in an act of exaggerated carelessness, he turned away. “We going or what?”</p><p>Ino frowned, biting her lip. She didn’t understand what Shikamaru wanted with a lady’s fan, but he very rarely expressed an interest in <i>wanting</i> something. Usually he only ever complained about things he <i>didn’t</i> want to do, which was everything (even if he usually gave in and let Ino drag him along anyway). </p><p>But if Shikamaru wanted it, then she didn’t care why. Emptying out her coin purse onto her palm, she shifted the coins around with a finger, counting under her breath. </p><p>“Choji, how much money did your mom give you for allowance?” she asked.</p><p>Choji wordlessly pulled out a few bills from a back pocket.</p><p>“Well, it means no dango today...or the rest of the month...but if we pool our allowances together, we should have enough!” </p><p>Shikamaru went even more red. “You guys don’t have to do that. It’s just a dumb fan. Weren’t we going to try that new food stall Choji was excited about?”</p><p>Choji shrugged. “My mom’s a better cook than any place we usually go anyway. She’s just been telling me I’ve been eating too much sugar and won't serve it in the house anymore. But I bet she’ll make us some dumplings if I ask.”</p><p>When they walked out of the store, Shikamaru immediately flipped open the fan and waved it a few times, hiding his mouth, but Ino could see the broad smile in his eyes. </p><p>__________</p><p>The Nara had a reputation for being lazy, but Shikamaru was in a league of his own. Iruka <i>suspected</i> the boy was just as brilliant as his clan was equally known for, but it was hard to prove it when he slept through all his classes and refused to participate in any practical lessons. </p><p>When any other boy (and many of the girls) his age were eager to practice throwing shuriken and kunai, Shikamaru hung back with the excuse, “I want to give all my classmates their turn first, sensei,” and then let others skip him in line for second and even third turns, stalling until the bell rang to signal the end of class. Sometimes he’d even sneak away to go lay down in the grass and cloud gaze (a problem in itself – while the other children were enthusiastic, they weren’t all <i>talented</i>, and Iruka dreaded having to tell the Jounin Commander his son had been hit by a stray kunai under Iruka’s watch).</p><p>When pressured to the front of the line and told no one could go until after his own turn, the boy would half-heartedly toss a few kunai, all of them falling far short of the target. “But that’s the best I can do, sensei!” he’d complain when Iruka would lecture him on his performance. “You can’t expect me to do more than my best!” </p><p>“This is exactly why you need to practice, Shikamaru!” Iruka would argue back, to which Shikamaru would nod and say, “but until I’m strong enough to throw far enough to hit the target, my classmates will benefit far more from your instruction than I.”</p><p>That wasn’t even touching trying to get the kid to practice ninjutsu. Iruka didn’t have a sharingan or a byakugan. He couldn’t exactly prove that Shikamaru wasn’t even trying to mold chakra when he ran through the hand signs, but...well, it was very obvious to everyone he wasn’t actually trying, even if no one wanted to accuse a clan heir of lying when he insisted he ‘just wasn’t cut out for it.’</p><p>Dealing with Nara Shikamaru made Iruka want to scream into his pillow each night. </p><p>It was after a very tense parent-teacher conference where Iruka floated the idea of Shikamaru possibly not being interested in being a ninja – perhaps they might consider transferring him out of the shinobi academy? – that his grades suddenly improved dramatically practically overnight. His ninjutsu and taijutsu skills remained poor, but Shikamaru did start to make an effort in class and they were very gradually but steadily catching up to baseline. </p><p>Curious about the change, Iruka couldn’t help but eavesdrop as he heard Shikamaru’s friends asking him about his sudden 180 as they walked out together after class. </p><p>“Dad said he’d take my fans away if I didn’t start trying…”</p><p>________</p><p>“Hey, what the hell do you three think you’re doing?!” Ino charged onto the scene. Ino being Ino, it wasn’t immediately clear whether she was referring to their former classmates, now Team 7, or the three strangers, until she stepped in front of the fellow Konoha nin, standing defensively between them and the newcomers with her hands on her hips in a defiant pose.</p><p>The blonde girl with the hourglass on her forehead protector flipped open a visa and presented it with a smirk. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, Konoha girl. We’re allowed to be here, for the exams next week.”</p><p>“We’re aware,” Shikamaru commented, strolling up behind his teammate. “But they’re a week from now, as you so kindly pointed out. A <i>lot</i> can happen in that time. </p><p>“Events like these, when different villages come together, are where alliances are truly tested. I’d hate for war to erupt between our nations simply because someone took offense to something one of us lowly genin said or did. After all, from now until the end of the tournament, we all represent our villages.”</p><p>“So what you’re saying is, ‘stay in your assigned dorms and don’t talk to anyone or cause trouble,’ huh?” the boy in the face paint asked.</p><p>Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. “Did I say that? Well, if you believe that’s the best thing to do, I trust your judgement.”</p><p>The girl scoffed. “Yeah, yeah, we hear ya.” She reached back and patted the enormous fan slung over her back. “I can’t wait to grind your face in the dirt next week.”</p><p>The boy in the face paint suddenly barked out a laugh, pointing. “Look, sis. He’s got a fan, too!”</p><p>The girl’s eye flickered to his belt, then back up to his face. “This,” she said, pulled her own fan free, and spreading it open, “is a <i>war</i> fan.” Fully extended, it was wider than she was tall. “I don’t know what you expect to do with <i>that</i> dinky thing.” </p><p>Shikamaru pulled it free from his belt and snapped it open, waving it almost coquettishly. “It keeps me cool,” he commented blandly. “Besides, don’t you think it’s pretty?” Temari blushed.<br/>
_______</p><p>“I know what you’re doing with those sparrows, Shikamaru.”</p><p>His son didn’t move from where he was crouched with a sparrow eating sunflower seeds from his hand, more scattered around his feet, so as not to startle the birds, but his head cocked a little to show he was listening. </p><p>Shikaku walked around to face his son from the front. The boy was pouting, a look he still couldn’t get used to seeing on such a blatantly Nara face, even after all these years. It looked even more ridiculous when seen with the chunin vest – the expression of a child, and the uniform of an adult. </p><p>Shikaku felt a pang. Shikamaru was still so young, and he was so, so proud of him...but if he and Yoshino had really had another child, an older brother for Shikamaru, then maybe Shikamaru would have chosen a civilian life for himself and been happier for it. But Shikamaru would be the next clan head after him. There was only ever one path for him.</p><p>“I’m only feeding them, Dad. I remember the ‘no pets’ rule.”</p><p>“You and I both know those aren’t pets.”</p><p>Shikamaru’s pout turned mulish. “Then I don’t see what the problem is.”</p><p>“Because we both know they aren’t wild either.”</p><p>Shikamaru lifted his head up curiously, overturning his palm at the same time, sending the seeds dropping to the ground and the bird fluttering away before wiping his hand on his pant leg.  </p><p>Shikaku sighed. “I never would have thought my son would make a contract with sparrows. Didn’t you always beg us for a canary? Or why not something fiercer, like a hawk?”</p><p>The sparrows took off in a burst of fluttering wings, a swarm of motion vanishing into the blue sky. Shikamaru watched them go, and sighed. “I’m not a fierce kind of guy, you know that. And I do like canaries.They’re so colorful and cheerful, you can’t help but look and smile.”</p><p>“But no one looks at sparrows,” Shikaku sighed in understanding. </p><p>“I had hopes when I was married that any future son of mine would follow in my footsteps. But that was never going to happen, was it?”</p><p>Shikamaru shook his head.</p><p>“But you know you don’t have to be Jounin Commander after me for me to still be proud, right?” </p><p>His son looked surprised, then embarrassed, looking away.</p><p>Shikaku sighed, and rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn’t much for speeches or heart-to-hearts, but he thought his son got the point. “Now why don’t you run off to the Yamanakas, or you’ll be late.”</p><p>“Ino has plans today. I’m not invited.”</p><p>“That’s good, because you’re having tea with Inoichi to talk about your future. I told him to expect you.”</p><p>__________</p><p>“Hey, kid.”</p><p>Shikamaru looked up. </p><p>It was a tokubetsu jounin he’d seen around the village. </p><p>The man crossed his arms, shifting the longbow resting across his back, and grinned in warm surprise. </p><p>“It really is you, isn’t it. I never thought…” he trailed off, looking wistful all of a sudden. </p><p>“Do I know you?” </p><p>Shikamaru did know the man. Sort of. He wasn’t sure of his name, but he knew him by reputation.</p><p>Everyone called him Iniseka, though it wasn’t his real name, because if you didn’t know better, you’d think he was an Inuzuka for the dog always running at his side. </p><p>It wasn’t a nin-hound or summon, and thus didn’t have human-level intelligence. It couldn’t use ninjutsu. It wouldn’t ever get as big as true Inuzuka dogs, either. It was just a dog. But it was still smarter than most common mutts, and impressively well trained. And while very cute, he’d heard it had rather swiftly torn open major arteries on its master’s victims on more than one occasion, leaving them to bleed out in a matter of seconds. </p><p>Iniseka wore his hair long, but unlike the wild Inuzuka clan, he was as well-groomed as any Hyuuga. Right now it was in a high ponytail, but still the tips brushed the small of his back.</p><p>He wasn’t from any clan, Shikamaru didn’t think. A civilian-born kid who had entered the shinobi academy and advanced through the ranks at a steady, though not prodigious, clip.</p><p>“While I suspected, I dismissed it as wishful thinking at first. But after I saw you in the chunin exams? I knew for sure.” Then he actually laughed. “And now I’m <i>your</i> senior! Makes me wonder if we should expect anyone else?”</p><p>Shikamaru flipped open his fan to hide his disinterested face. Why was this crazy person talking to him? (And why didn’t he just walk away? There wasn’t anything making him stand here and listen.) </p><p>“You’re Nara Shikamaru, and I’m, well, it doesn’t matter what my name is, everyone just calls me Iniseka.</p><p>“But, you’re also Nie Huaisang.” The fan snapped shut. “And I’m Jin Ling.” </p><p>He nudged the dog at his side gently with a foot. “This is Fairy II,” he added with a grin.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My little attempt on wordplay here almost certainly doesn't actually work, but my googling tells me "nise" mean fake or counterfeit in Japanese. Hence, I-nise-ka, Ini-seka: a fake Inuzuka.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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